Page 43 of Playboy

Suddenly, Playboy felt a shift in weight.

“Now!” Bear shouted.

Both Playboy and Duke swiftly guided Gabby’s body out from under the pile of floating debris.

Playboy’s eyes widened in horror as Gabby’s mangled leg came into view. Her lower left leg was twisted in a way that legs weren’t supposed to be. It was a gruesome sight.

“We need to tie off her leg. She’s losing a lot of blood,” Duke said. With the help of a few of the others, they had her fully on the backboard.

Just as they were lifting her out of the water and onto one of the boats, two more boats arrived on the scene.

Playboy stayed by Gabby’s head as Duke, and one of the other Coasties assessed her injuries.

Duke quickly tied a tourniquet around her leg just below her knee to help slow the bleeding.

“The chopper just finished up that water rescue, and it needs to be refueled. It’ll be about another forty-five minutes until it can get her.”

“We don’t have forty-five minutes. We need to get her to the hospital asap,” Duke told the Coastie.

“We can take the boat and call ahead and have an ambulance waiting at the nearest beach. It’ll cut the time in half.”

“Let’s do it.”

As the boat started to move, Playboy settled in next to Gabby on one side while Duke stayed close on the other side so he could monitor her condition. The rest of the team stood watch around Gabby. Their expressions were grim.

He brushed some loose hairs away from her face before leaning down and kissing her forehead. “Stay with us, baby,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as the boat sped through the water.

Duke reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Playboy’s shoulder. “She’s tough. Stay positive,” he told him.

Playboy nodded, though he found little comfort in Duke’s words. He knew Gabby was strong, but the fear of losing her was overwhelming.

His free hand clenched into a fist as he felt his heart breaking seeing her so broken. But he couldn’t fall apart now. Not when she needed him to be strong. He needed to be strong for her.

CHAPTER TEN

The waiting room felt suffocating as Playboy paced restlessly. He was fighting to keep his emotions in check while his team sat in silence, the tension palpable as they waited for any word on Gabby.

Everyone was equally on edge, feeling the weight of what had happened. Gabby had saved their lives by intercepting that boat, but it had nearly cost her everything.

“I still can’t believe that she purposely took that hit,” Aussie said, looking like he was staring off into no man’s land.

“She saved our asses,” Duke added, shaking his head as he couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know how she’s doing it,” Playboy said quietly, finally voicing the fear that had been clawing at him. “She’s in there, fighting. She has to be.”

Bear placed a hand on Playboy’s shoulder. “Gabby’s one of the toughest people I know. If anyone can pull through this, it’s her.”

The room fell silent again, the weight of those words hanging in the air. They all wanted to believe it, but uncertainty was killing them. Playboy found himself glancing at the clock on the wall, counting the minutes and seconds. Every tick felt like a lifetime.

Every creak of the doors made his heart jump, only for it to be a hospital employee coming in to use the vending machines or get a cup of coffee.

Playboy’s mind was stuck on the last image he had of Gabby—pinned between two wrecked boats, unconscious and battered. He ran his hands through his hair, barely holding it together.

Suddenly, the door to the waiting room sprung open, and Gabby’s teammates entered, flanked by their Captain and a man and woman. Playboy froze, his heart hammering in his chest. He had never met Gabby’s parents, though she had told him all about them. But he knew just from looking at the couple and the features they shared with Gabby that these people were her parents.

Their faces were full of worry, and he could see the panic in the mom’s eyes as they approached.

Playboy met Captain Graham with a handshake as the rest of his team stood behind him in support.

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